French Gendarmerie: "Open Source Desktop Lowers TCO By 40%"

Using an open source desktop lowers the total cost of ownership by 40%, in savings on proprietary software licences and by reducing costs on IT management. Using Ubuntu Linux massively reduces the number of local technical interventions, says Major Stéphane Dumond. "The direct benefits of saving on licences are the tip of the iceberg. An industrialised open source desktop is a powerful lever for IT governance."

The Gendarmerie now employs 37,000 Ubuntu Linux desktops. In the summer of next year, it expects to have completed the switch, and will then have 72,000 Ubuntu-Linux workstations. That makes it Europe's and possibly world-wide the largest example of a public administration using open source on workstations.

"It is possible to deploy thousands of Linux desktops. We did", the Major said, speaking at the Evento Linux conference, which took place in the city of Lisbon, Portugal, on 26 September.